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‘You should enter the Richard Burton 10K,’ suggests another runner after Porthcawl Parkrun one morning in July. But, in what’s been one of the most difficult years of my life, I’ve barely stayed in touch with running. As for entering a race? That’s unthinkable given that I’m functioning on a day by day basis. Yet somehow, with a lot of encouragement and training help from Tom, here I am on the first Sunday in November, lining up for my first race of the year and the last race before my next birthday. I’m wearing a brooch with a photo of Mum who was famously sparing in her praise of me and my sister when it came to our academic achievements (Us: ‘Mum, I got 99%! ‘ Mum (heavy sigh) ‘Next time try to do better.’), yet touchingly proud of my running. The Richard Burton 10K, as it states on its home page , “epitomises the spirit and beauty of our famous Welsh valleys, with the heritage of the legend that is Richard Burton”. If you look at the course , you can see that some of the climbs a...